Lola J. May (October 29, 1923 – March 13, 2007) was a mathematics educator, consultant, author, producer of audio-visual materials, an early proponent of the new math educational process, and a household name among mathematics.

Life

Her father was a salesman and her mother was a homemaker. Her father taught her mathematics every night using a movable blackboard and a collection of coins. She found her early schooling boring and too strict, and she did not initially consider becoming a teacher. A native of

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

Horan, Deborah. 2007. "Lola J. May: 1923–2007." ''Chicago Tribune'' (March 19).
/ref> and a summa cum laude graduate of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in 1945, where she received her B.S. in mathematics and science. After teaching high school for three years, she studied and achieved her master's degree in mathematics at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in 1950 and her doctorate in mathematics education from there in 1964. She taught mathematics at

New Trier Township High School New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school whose main campus for sophomores through seniors is in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, with a campus in Northfield, Illinois, for ...

in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

area until 1960, and was a mathematics consultant at the

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,475 as of the 2020 census. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the United States in terms of household income. It was ...

public schools until 1998. Her summers were often spent teaching at the university level, but she taught mathematics to all grades over the course of her career. She promised herself to make her students laugh and ask questions. She did not want her students to be bored by or scared of mathematics. She succeeded; her students cheered when they figured out the answers to math problems and lamented when class time with Dr. May was over. May explained, "The big thing I have going for me is my enthusiasm. There are people who are brighter than I am. There are people who may be better teachers-although I'm pretty good at teaching-and there are certainly people who are better writers. But I have enthusiasm." This enthusiasm was not unnoticed; teachers in the same hallway as her described how loud she was. May died on March 13, 2007, in Evanston, Illinois, at the age of 83.

Contributions

Her authored works include her autobiography "Lola May Who?", the book "Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School", a number of Harcourt Brace textbooks, monthly articles for a regular column in the ''Teaching K-8'' magazine, and a series of articles for the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

Magazine. May created videotapes, film strips, audiocassettes, and students' audiovisual programs for teaching mathematics. She led 20 shows about "new math" for parents and teachers on NCB TV from 1962 to 1964. She also designed a cartoon series about new math for an adult audience, called Space Age Math for Stone Age Parents. She frequently was a speaker at the annual California Math Conference and Northwest Math Conference during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. May also spoke at National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) conferences. She gave talks in all 50 states and around the world.

Recognition

Her awards include the Northwestern Alumni Merit Award in 1999, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Founded in 1920, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is a professional organization for schoolteachers of mathematics in the United States. One of its goals is to improve the standards of mathematics in education. NCTM holds an ...

in 1995, and the Educator of the Year Award from the Winnetka Chamber of Commerce.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Lola J. 1923 births 2007 deaths People from Kenosha, Wisconsin Northwestern University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 20th-century American educators American mathematics educators American women mathematicians 20th-century American women scientists